The Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) has officially been opened today by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“As our nation and the rest of the world grapples with pandemic, it is gratifying to note that Kenya’s health sector continues to make tremendous progress”, the president said.
The launch was posted on Twitter under the Hashtag #KUTRRHLaunch, and on other social media platforms.
KUTRRH has a bed capacity of 650 boasting state of the art medical amenities.
It offers oncology (cancer treatment), trauma, orthopedics, renal, outpatient among other services.
The 100 acre piece of real estate is a brainchild of former Kenyatta University (KU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Olive Nigenda who now chairs its board.
There have been a tussle over the control of the hospital between Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Prof Mugenda. The former accuses the later of refusing to cede control of the Sh8.7 billion hospital so as to benefit private interests.
In January 2019, KUTRRH was gazzeted as a parastatal under the Ministry of Health (MoH) effectively removing it from the control of the University..
The lecturers’ union claimed that efforts to delink the hospital from the university for suspect reasons started as early as 2016 when the KU council under the chairmanship of Ratemo Michieka attempted to change the name of the hospital to Kenyatta University Health Care Systems Limited. The appointment of Prof Olive Mugenda as CEO of the hospital was successfully challenged by Activist Okiya Omtatah
If it went through, Prof Mugenda, who is also a current member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), would have enjoyed terms of service that are the same as the ones she enjoyed as the university’s VC.
Accompanying the president were the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Health Mutahi Kagwe, Education CS Prof George Magoha, UK Ambassador Jane Marriot, among other dignitaries.
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